


it's almost like we knew

by endlesspossibilities



Category: Atypical (TV 2017)
Genre: Coming Out, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/F, Pre-Relationship, lesbian-bi woman solidarity
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-13
Updated: 2018-11-13
Packaged: 2019-08-23 00:54:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,226
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16608749
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/endlesspossibilities/pseuds/endlesspossibilities
Summary: Here’s the thing. Izzie isn’t really confused about anything. She’s known for awhile. But it’s enough coming into a new fancy private school knowing you’re going to be different. There’s no way she was going to add lesbian on top of all of that.or the one where Izzie is a lesbian, cause it honestly kinda makes sense?





	it's almost like we knew

Here’s the thing. Izzie isn’t really confused about anything. She’s known for a while. But it’s enough coming into a new fancy private school knowing you’re going to be different. She’s poorer than everyone and she has an abusive stepfather and takes care of her younger siblings often. There’s no way she was going to add lesbian on top of all of that. So when Nate starts to show interest in her, Izzie goes along with it. He’s kind of a douche, but people like him and she knows he’s cute, so they start dating pretty early. 

She’s not stupid either, she knows that within three months of them dating, Nate cheats. It doesn’t really bother her, because she knows she’s not in love. It’s all a sham and some days she thinks Nate knows this too, so they keep dating. None of it bothered her, until Casey. 

Casey was different but different in ways that made them the same. At first, it scared her. Izzie worked really hard to build this persona, to gain these people’s trust. Casey walks in, and for the first time, Izzie can feel the sham start to slip.

So, yeah, she’s a bitch. But, fuck, who can really blame her? If coach hadn’t locked them in that office together, she might have kept it up till graduation. Except, once she starts to actually talk to Casey, she feels it. That blossom in her chest. The feud is over, quicker than it begun and she starts to listen to her heart again. She thinks (see: hopes) maybe Casey is _really_ like her, but then she learns about Evan. Who sounds fantastic, cute and funny. Everything a boyfriend should be, which means Izzie has no chance. It’s okay though, she’s used to it. She’ll take what she can get when it comes to Casey.

Then there’s a moment in their pillow fort before Nate ruins everything. Casey admits that she is her new favorite person too and she is so happy until she remembers Evan. She thinks about Clayton Prep and everything she’s built. Casey is beautiful, she’s funny, she gets Izzie in ways Izzie hasn’t known before. But she can’t be hers, so she distances herself. Nate’s attempt to cheat is just a perfect opportunity to justify it.

Things get out of hand. A month goes by and every day she misses Casey more. She spends more time with Nate and the other track girls, but it’s not the same. She can’t talk to them how she talked to Casey. So she breaks up with Nate. He gets it. He’s still a massive douche, but he doesn’t press her about it. Then Casey’s mom calls her and invites her to a surprise birthday party for Casey’s 16th birthday. 

The first thing she sees when she walks in is Casey dancing with Sam and it’s so adorable, her chest hurts. Then her heart breaks because, at first sight, Casey runs. Izzie knows that she deserves that and much more, but it stills hurts that her presence alone can ruin Casey’s night. Fuck, she messed up. 

“Hey” 

Everything gets better from there. She’s not sure where forehead promise came from, but it puts her closer to Casey than she’s ever been before and oh, she’s lovely. Casey’s eyes focus in on her lips and she swears it’s going to happen. The music is muffled to begin with, but suddenly all Izzie can hear is white noise and the puff of Casey’s breath, close enough to feel. Casey complains about her mom a lot, but Izzie never quite understood why until now.

They pull apart so quickly, Izzie feels dizzy. Dizzy with the almosts, with the so close, with the no more. 

Here’s the thing. Izzie isn’t really confused about anything. She’s realizing very quickly. Casey is her favorite person, like ever. They hold hands and build forts and tell each other about their dumb family problems. So yeah, why not add love to that. She’s in love with her best friend and Casey says she loves Evan, but maybe (and she won’t get her hopes up because when has life ever been that easy for her) she could love Izzie too.

It’s with all of this in mind that Izzie decides she needs to come out to the first person ever, Casey. If she has any shot of this actually being a relationship, she figures it might start with her officially telling Newton that she’s gay. They’re supposed to hang out tonight at Casey’s and that seems like as good a time as any. 

Izzie likes to come across as a confident person, but she’s nervous. It’s not like she thinks Casey will hate her, but it’s scary! She never had a reason to come out before. But sitting on Newton’s bed, half a Dom’s pizza eaten between them? This is as perfect as Izzie can remember her life being, so she knows what she wants to do next.

“Hey Casey? Can I tell you something I’ve never told anyone before?” Izzie stares down at her hands. She’s pretty sure Casey won’t care. She knows there’s something there, between them, but this thing is big.

“Of course, Iz,” Casey reaches over and puts a comforting hand on her arm. 

“I’m gay. A lesbian, actually,” Izzie blurts it out. She’s never said the words aloud and her eyes get huge and she takes a deep breath. It’s the first breath that feels full and unhindered, now that the anvil on her chest is lifted.

“Oh! Uh, that’s cool. I mean, I love you.” Casey starts to ramble but cuts short at the ‘I love you’

“I think I’m bi,” Casey says after another breath.

It seems like an unplanned reaction, judging by how red she blushes immediately after and the way her mouth opens and then snaps closed again.

“Yeah? That’s cool, too. Don’t worry I’m not one of those lesbians who thinks bi girls are just straight girls looking to have some fun or some shit. Bisexuality is totally valid,” Izzie responds, nodding her head and smiling. She is acting like it’s no big deal because she knows how easy Casey could spook, but yeah, it’s a pretty big deal. Knowing that Casey isn’t straight, confirms that this feeling isn’t one-way. There’s no way to misinterpret the signals now.

“Oh, great, thanks. I didn’t even know that was a stereotype,” Casey furrows her brow and Izzie ventures a guess that she doesn’t know much about the LGBT community.

“You’re like totally a gayby, aren’t you?” Izzie teases, secretly excited to get to help Newton explore this side of herself.

“Shit, I don’t even know what that means, but I’m guessing… yes.”

“Dude, this is gonna be great. I can’t wait to take you under my wind, my little gayby,” Izzie cooes and pulls Casey into her side. Right now, she and Casey are friends, best friends. And yeah, she hopes there’s room for that to grow, but honestly? Just knowing that Casey knows that’s she’s gay? That’s fucking amazing. There’s a buzzing in her fingers and a looseness in her body that she doesn’t remember feeling before. She reaches over and grabs Casey’s hand, squeezing once, before smiling and raising her eyebrows,

“Okay, first question. Have you ever seen Buffy the vampire slayer?”


End file.
